Joanne had scheduled the last two weeks of August off as
vacation for our annual Gather trip.
We planned to spent most of the trip exploring as many of the little
Oregon forest roads as possible. I got some new CDs for the iPod: AFI, Angels & Airwaves, K.T.
Tunstall, & Los Lonely Boys. Mmmm...

Monday, August 21 - Packed too many clothes, got away late, did my
secret scouting mission for the Cardinal (Gilman Rd.=Heaven, more
later...), and arrived at Joanne's brother's place in Redding about
o-dark-thirty. Freeways SUCK, but you do make better time when
you're running late. Jumped in the pool with a view and had some
dinner. Ahhhhh...

Joanne had arrived earlier on a borrowed F650GS Dakar. It had just
had a head gasket & head replaced in the shop. The dealer *claimed*
everything was fixed and it was ready for a two-week trip. It had a
bad-looking chain, didn't like to start when cold, and just didn't
sound quite right at low rpms. Lower-end knocky-kinda sounds. She
said the coolant over-temp light came on & added ~16oz of water to
the radiator to get to Redding. Hmmm...

Tuesday - I had an 8:00AM appointment with Rick Mayer <http://www.rickmayercycle.com/>
in Anderson for an adjustment to the seat he made for my Caponord a
few years ago. I've lost a little weight in the last couple of
years, and had acquired a cracked <OUCH!> tailbone. Took Placer Rd &
Cloverdale Rd for some cool-morning twisties; Yum-YUM!

Pulled into the driveway and I hardly recognized the place. He's
built a new shop & office building in front of their home. He had
two assistants working with him on the seats and another in the
office on the phone. Looks like business is good! It took a few
adjustments and test rides, but by noon I had a seat that really
felt GREAT again!

Got back to Redding a little late for us to ride the backroads to
Selma, Oregon as planned, so we jumped in the pool with a view
again. Ahhh... Walked to Papa Murphy's and got a pizza for dinner.
Vacation is HARD!

Wednesday, we headed up I5 past Lake Shasta and turned east on
Gilman Road. This is a FINE piece of twisty heaven with no traffic. The pavement ends after 16 miles as the road becomes FS27 or Fenders
Ferry Road. This was a good gravel road across several ridges and
valleys. Good dual-sport route. Joanne commented that she liked the 650GS
better on the gravel than the KLR650s.
<http://www.endorphin-express.com/gather06/Gilman-FendersFerry-Rd.jpg>

At a highway construction zone on Hwy-89, she said it was not
running very good and surged pretty badly. We swapped bikes so I
could experience what she was talking about. OHMYGAWD!

The chain was BADLY stretched in a couple of places and was making a
LOUD CLANK as these spots started over the countershaft sprocket on
each revolution. These noises faded with speed, but the rising
vibration at speed was very disconcerting. The chain was TOAST and
needed to be replaced immediately.

The motor ran poorly at low to mid rpms, but felted OK if you revved
it out in each gear. A lot of the surging was the un-evenly
stretched chain. Stopped at McCloud on 89 and Joanne started calling
moto dealers. The only one with a 520 chain was back down I5 to
Redding. So...

We got the chain just before closing, but the service dept. was not
interested in an emergency chain replacement job or loaning us a
chain breaker in the parking lot. Grrr... She bought a cheap chain
breaker. Stopped at a grocery store for food & back to the
pool with a view again. Ahhh... Once the sun set, Joanne fixed some
dinner while I tackled the chain replacement. Dinner was GREAT and
the new chain was on.

Thursday - as we packed, Joanne called the BMW dealer to report the
continued water usage and the new chain it needed. Headed towards the Gather one more
time... Got to Crescent Lake mid-afternoon and set up our tents on
the ridge next to the lake. Visitin' commenced as I found the cider.
Mmmm... cider with hugs & kisses from beautiful women, my favorite!

Rhonda saved the marinated steaks we missed for dinner with them
the night before. So, after everyone else's dinner was cooked,
we bribed the grillmaster & snuck the steaks on the grill.
Oh-MY, her steaks are to DIE for! THANKS Rhonda!!!

Friday started with a nice breakfast & visitin'. Then Rick's bbq lessons, Carl's
pot-o-beans lunch (Mmmm...), more visitin', and helping prepare
dinner. Jocelyn, Shasta, Steve, and their crew did a WONDERFUL job!
I was proud to help. Shasta's cayenne-cashew baklava was QUITE
the surprise!

Joanne, Flash, Shank, & a host of others brain-stormed the F650
issues. She headed to Oakridge for an extended-tip spark plug.
Apparently BMW doesn't spec an extended-tip plug, but ALL of the
F650 owners know to substitute. Shame all the BMW dealers haven't
figured this out yet. She said it ran WAY BETTER, but still needed
water by the end of the day. Many scratching heads tried to figure
out WHERE the water was going. Not obvious. Yet.

Saturday started slowly after breakfast, but we took BlackBear out
for a ride about 11. SSJoanne, myself with BB, and Chris Cork on his
Cagiva Grand Canyon. Chris had a video camera setup and was going to
film our crossing of FS19. I was not as smooth with BB on the back
as he would have liked on the way up. I made a better effort to do
so on the return trip. It was FUN! The F650GS needed more water.

Dinner, awards, & dessert were GREAT! Andrea, you ARE our Dessert
Server of Choice(tm) <Yum-YUM!!!>, but watch out for Molly! She's a
QUICK learner! Visited with many more folks, but not nearly
everyone. Sorry if I missed you.

Sunday - As with most mornings, nature called early so I hiked down
to the 2nd day-use beach while watching for the sun to get through
the trees. Packing & breaking camp seemed to take forever. I brought
too many clothes! Got everything loaded & parked up by the pavilion.
Many hugs & good-byes with everyone else still there.

Another GREAT Gather! THANKS Gooz and everyone involved!

We rode to Oakridge and stopped at Manning's Cafe for a late
breakfast. They bake fresh bread daily & make the BEST thick french
toast with it. And BIG sausage patties. Joanne had two GIANT
pancakes; 1 buckwheat & 1 blueberry. :-)

Don Singer (former S.F.Northstars President) had left earlier in the
afternoon to drive a load to California, so we missed him. Judy
fixed a delicous quiche with dessert & everything! Mom fixed some of
her home-made granola for breakfast with plenty of fresh berries.
WOW, that was GREAT!!! THANKS Judy & Mom!

Monday, we stopped by the Napa store on the way out of town & looked
into a new radiator cap for the F650. They had a few that would fit,
but the BMW must run a MUCH higher pressure cap, as its spring
tension was noticeably stronger that any of the possible
replacements. We passed & topped off the radiator water.

Took backroads to Mill City & on to Detroit. Next came HEAVEN;
Forest roads 46, 42, 57 past Timothy Lake (gravel), 58, Abbot Rd, &
42 again to Hwy-26. See
<http://www.endorphin-express.com/gather06/FR46-42-57-58-42.jpg>.
At Mt. Hood, we rode up to the Timberline Lodge for lunch. NICE
lodge & views. Wish I had remembered to get the camera OUT of the
tankbag. Food was a bit over-priced, but surprisingly good.

Back to Hwy-26 and on to Zigzag. Next was FR18 (Lolo Pass Rd.)
across the back of Mt. Hood. Ahhhh... As we dropped down the north
side past the gravel section, we noticed FR16 climbing back up
towards the east AND it was paved! She twisted my arm. EXCELLENT
little forest road with incredible views & curves! Highly
recommended!
<http://www.endorphin-express.com/gather06/Lolo-Pass-FR18+FR16.jpg>

Dropped to the gorge with evening traffic, crossed the river at
Cascade Locks, and headed to Martin & Carol's for the evening. Had
the F650 over-temp light come on again while I was test riding it,
so we stopped and added more water. Rolled into Vancouver about dusk
and parked in the garage next to the MARIGOLD seat! OHMYGAWD,
what a FEAST they prepared for dinner! Stayed up late talking
about everything, and enjoying their wonderful hospitality &
poodles. THANKS Martin & Carol!

Tuesday, we had planned to go play on Mt. St. Helens for the day
withOUT luggage, while Mark M. offered to ferry our luggage to his &
Roger's place for Tuesday night. :-) As we checked out the F650 that
morning, we discovered that the oil level in the oil tank had risen
above the sight glass from a day or two earlier. Uh-Oh. With a
bright flashlight, the oil in the tank looked like brown gravy with
a foamy cappuccino topping. It was NOW obvious where the water
was going.

Questioning how this motor had survived the 1500 miles of this trip
so far, we decided to do an oil & filter change. Mark arrived and
led us to the BMW dealer. The service guy looked at the contents of
the oil tank and said this motor has SERIOUS problems. Joanne
explained its recent history and he said good luck with YOUR dealer.
He agreed about an oil change at this point in the trip. Bought a
filter & then off to Mark & Roger's place. Joanne started tearing
the F650 apart, while Mark showed me the WiFi-enabled backyard
office. WOW!!! Krypto showed me HIS favorite spot too!

Returning to the garage, we found SSJoanne wrestling with the oil
drain plug. It wouldn't budge. The open-end wrench & 12-point
sockets were not finding enough corners left to bite. I clamped a
vise-grip on the best set of flats, and then put a LARGE crescent
wrench on the side of vice-grips. The vice-grips were twisting &
about to break as I released tension. Hmmm... This is NOT good!

Joanne called our favorite BMW dealer's service manager, described
today's issues, and asked what HE thought we should do with this
bike. He said to keep adding water as necessary and ride it straight
home. We frowned, and she put the F650 back together. Then we surfed
the web, discussed trip options, and pampered Krypto. Joanne called
Mauro and told him she was heading home on I-5 tomorrow & that he
should be prepared to drive the van north if she doesn't make it all
the way.

Roger came home with GREAT Thai food and we pigged out. :-) Talked
about software, UIs, and GPSs. Geek Central! Mark showed me MANY
backroads to go play on.

Wednesday morning I awoke to the sound of Joanne starting the F650
in the driveway. I waved out the window and my traveling partner was
gone. :-( Had some breakfast while looking at online weather
forecasts & radar. Packed up everything, and said good bye to Mark,
Roger, & Krypto. THANKS for the help & hospitality! Headed towards
Hwys 210, 219, 8, 6, Timber Rd, & 47 to Clatskanie.

All the way through Forest Grove, it was dark & cloudy to the
northwest and clear to the south. By the time I got to Hwy 6 it was
sprinklin'. About the town of Timber, it was raining HARD and I was
suppose to ride another 50 miles north before heading towards the
coast. Hmmm... Plan B!

Turned around and headed towards the clear sky to the south. :-)
Back to Forest Grove & down 47 to Carlton. Took the Nestucca River
Byway to Blaine & Beaver. Nice twisty backroads! The hard-packed
gravel section looked like it had been recently rolled smooth and
was slightly moist from an earlier rain. Amazing traction!

At Beaver I looked at the maps & back-tracked to Blaine & then south
to Willamina. About half way south I came to a major intersection
that my Oregon map didn't show. Stopped & looked at the Gazetteer
and the signs. The left was Bald Mtn Rd and it supposed to climb
past Sheridan Peak. I LIKE diversions!

On the way to the peak, I spotted an OHV staging area and stopped to
look for info. Talked to 2 riders getting ready to go ride when a
ranger drove up. He reminded everyone that they MUST have 2.5
gallons of water & a shovel to DRIVE into this area. Said they don't
try to enforce the rules with motorcycle riders, but all trucks and
cars withOUT either can be ticketed! What a bunch of sheep-control
freaks! Beautiful area to dirt ride, but the use rules are a BIT
over the top! Took a picture at the peak & headed on down to
Willamina. GREAT set of empty, curvaceous forest roads!!!
<http://www.endorphin-express.com/gather06/carlton%20to%20willamina.jpg>

I had Mary all to myself with GREAT views & lunch! Called Joanne's
cell & left a wish-you-were-here message. About this time a small
truck drove up with an ATV in the back. I watched as they
(middle-aged couple) unloaded it & then walked over to enjoy the
view. The guy told me that his mom had just died the day before, and
her last wish was to have her ashes scattered to the wind from the
top of Mary's Peak.

They were making a scouting run with the ATV to see if he will be
able to ferry the old relatives (one at a time on the back of the
ATV) up to the actual summit from the parking lot for the services
in a few days. He said he knew it was illegal, but hoped I'd
understand. I smiled & waved as they rode the ATV around the
boulders and barriers & up the hiking trail to the summit. Good
thing there weren't any sheep-control freaks around!

Continued down Hwy-34 to Alsea & then south to Little Lobster Creek
Rd., & Lobster Valley Rd. HEY! Wizzzz... That sign at that
intersection was too small to read at this brisk pace. It *couldn't*
be FR 35 to Deadwood yet?!? Nahhhhh! WOW, fun roads! At the Tee at
FR32 I realized the last intersection WAS 35. OOPS! The map shows 32
also going down to Hwy 36 near Swisshome. I'll take IT instead!
Nice road! Until I reached the ROAD CLOSED sign with the 4-ft
sunken grade behind it. CRAP!

The Gazetteer showed a couple of dirty forest roads/trails going
from 32 to 35. I tried FR3259. A few miles down this trail I
realized there are NO fresh tracks, anywhere. It looks like I'm the
first one through this year! The water bars were small, until I got
to the last intersection about 2 miles from 35. There was a 4-FOOT
mount of dirt & rocks blocking the trail. CRAP!

At Hwy-36 I went south to 126, east to Vaughn Rd, to Territorial Rd
to I5. Got into Steve & Christy's place on Elkhead Rd. (east of
Yoncalla) about 9:30PM. 442 miles. That seat adjustment
last week was working GREAT!!!

Thursday morning I hiked up the ridge of their property to enjoy the
view. Found a message on my cell from Joanne; the F650 make it
750 miles to home with only one radiator re-fill! AMAZING! I
spent the day visitin' with Steve & Christy, and getting his AOL
software working on his new hand-me-down computer. Steve gave me a
cool-looking route to try the next morning on the way out. THANKS
for everything Steve & Christy!

Friday morning I took Elkhead Rd to Scotts Valley Rd, to London Hill
Rd, & London Rd to Cottage Grove. :-) Next was Shoreview Dr. past
Dorena Lake. Then came Sharp Creek Rd, Martin Creek Rd, and several
BLM roads that took me up along a ridge with great views & twisties.
I followed this last road until I came down to Hwy-138 just east of
Idleyld Park. GREAT set of roads, Steve!
<http://www.endorphin-express.com/gather06/Elkhead-Glide.jpg>

Took 138 to I-5 south & down to Riddle. Next was Cow Creek Rd, Dutch
Henry Rd, and several BLM roads down to Galice. Checked the signs to
Agness & Gold Beach, and the main paved road is FINALLY OPEN again!
The roads to Agness & back were excellent twisty fun, but you did
have to see & dodge the many sunken grades! Just a bit technical.
Back at Galice, I took FR25 (Briggs Valley Rd) past Onion Mtn and
down to Selma. Its another one of these Oregon gems with 20
miles of twisty pavement + 6 miles of improved gravel + 20 miles of
paved heaven at the other end. :-)
<http://www.endorphin-express.com/gather06/Riddle-selma.jpg>

Got into Selma & out to Joel & Margee's ranch on Deer Creek Rd.
Visited with Joel who was resting after his Wednesday eye surgery.
Margee got home from work later.

Saturday, we went into Cave Junction for breakfast & to count
quarters at the Brown Barn Launderette. WOW, what a PILE of
quarters!!! Afterwards, as Margee was planning some errands to run,
Joel suggested a little rock crawlin' & shootin' up the canyon. :-)
We did some shooting at an old washing machine & refrigerator at the
end of some jeep trail. Joel is a good shot to be BLIND in one eye!

Next came a boulder garden to play in. <http://www.endorphin-express.com/or/rc/>
His Toyota rock crawler was impressive. The exoskeleton is
about 2/3 complete. Next we climbed several trails to
get near the top of this ridge we could see. It got VERY steep until
we were blocked by a downed tree. Looked like we were only 100 feet
from the top, but this was as far as we were getting today. Too
steep here to turn the truck around, so I spotted for Joel as he had
to back down to a better spot. BIG FUN Joel!

Sunday, I took FR25 to Galice, and then to Agness & Gold Beach. LOTS
of folks camped along the lower river. It was COLD and very foggy at
the ocean. Rode down to Hunter Creek Rd and was disappointed that
the pavement only lasted 4 miles. Continued out to Wildhorse Lookout
Road, and then down Pistol River Road back to the Ocean. BURRrr!!!
Did the Carpenterville loop, and then back up to Gold Beach, Agness,
Galice, & Selma the way I came. :-)
<http://www.endorphin-express.com/gather06/Selma-carpenterville.jpg>

Monday I gave Margee a BIG hug as she left for work, and took Joel
out for breakfast. THANKS Joel & Margee for everything! Packed up
and head east on Deer Creek Rd over the mountain to Williams. More
twisty heaven! :-) Next was 238 to Jacksonville & backroads to Gold
Hill.
<http://www.endorphin-express.com/gather06/selma-gold-hill.jpg>

234 to 62, and then Butte Falls Rd and Butt Falls-Prospect Rd. to
Prospect. Ahhh... Back down to Butte Falls and east to 140. Took
Westside Rd north past Klamath Lake to 62 to Chiloquin. Took Sprague
River Rd to Drews Rd to Godowa Springs Rd north of Beatty.
<http://www.endorphin-express.com/gather06/gold-hill-beatty.jpg>

This was the back way Bret & Barbara had mentioned to get *near*
their place when I thought we'd be stopping by LAST week! Then came
some exploring on many dirt roads & cell-phone calls to Barbara
before I stumbled on the RIGHT gate to their property. Barbara led
me in on her QUAD!

YIKES! Middle of friggin' NoWhere! No utilities whatsoever.
Off grid and 100% solar powered. Only Verizon wireless & sat
phones work there. They have satellite Internet access.
She walked over and pushed the corner of the large solar array on
its pedestal to point it towards the sun. 50 miles to Klamath Falls
for the nearest large grocery store. This would be a bit
rustic for Sherry, but Barbara really likes their 27-acre valley.
Sparse trees in this high-desert forest. She said it doesn't rain
here, only snow that lingers a while. She WANTS the 20 acres north and the 20 acres south
of theirs also. Bret was up at John Day driving a water truck for
the fire-fighting crews.

Barbara & I hadn't seen each other in 2-3 years, so we had a bit to
catch up on. It was crazy listening to her story of the night last
February that they tried to drive up & move in. Both pulling
enclosed cargo trailers behind pickups through the snow. Apparently
they got both trucks stuck on the last snow-covered dirt road to the
property, and spent the night right there! Definitely an adventure!

Tuesday morning I hiked, packed, & waited for the temperature to
climb above 40. THANKS Barbara! Time to go home. Took
140, 97 back to California and the freeways home.

Nice trip. 3100 miles puts the Caponord just over 50,000. Max
& Kate were excited to see me ride into the garage. I got
excited when Sherry got home from work! ;-)